IVO's supervisory case in connection with the freezer failure in Neo closed
After the freezer failure in Neo, the Health and Social Care Inspectorate (IVO) opened a supervisory case. The case has now been closed and IVO considers that the investigations carried out and the measures taken by Karolinska Institutet are sufficient to fulfil the requirements of the Biobanks Act.
In connection with the freezer failure in the Neo building during the Christmas holidays in 2023, a large number of samples were destroyed. Among them were biobank samples, the handling of which is regulated in the Biobanks Act. As a result, the supervisory authority, the Health and Social Care Inspectorate (IVO) opened a case to scrutinise Karolinska Institutet's handling of biobank samples.
The supervisory case has now been closed and IVO considers that KI's investigation of the freezer failure and the action plan decided by KI are sufficient to ensure that something similar will not happen again. If a similar event is not entirely preventable, IVO considers the measures to be sufficient to limit the consequences.
IVO has studied both the internal and external investigation reports of the freezer failure, as well as the action plan for freezing facilities decided by KI. Based on this, the supervisory authority assesses that KI has the prerequisites to fulfil the requirements of the Biobanks Act.